Designer and homeowner Tommy Smythe‘s off-kilter display proves that assymetry can be just as pleasing as a perfectly balanced vignette. Here, he artfully arranged three different styles of art with a selection of man-made and natural items, including a striking sawfish blade, for an eclectic look.

On Tommy's current fireplace mantel, the repetition of shapes helps create a sense of unity. A round convex mirror ties in with an antique lantern's circular lens, as well as Tommy's collection of shapely miniature boxes.

White walls are a crisp foil to aged antiques and darker finishes. “This is the first really white living room I’ve ever done,” admits Tommy — associate designer with Sarah Richardson Design and co-star of HGTV’s Sarah’s Cottage and Sarah’s House — whose past homes were distinguished by dark, dramatic walls. “The windows are this home’s best feature; white shows off the light and makes the room feel big.” Since the sofa is also neutral, it blends in and doesn’t overpower the small space. “White is also the perfect backdrop for layering in strong colours, which I chose to give the room a youthful, happy feel.”

In the living room of Toronto designer Tommy Smythe, an abstract leopard print fabric makes a pair of wing chairs feel avant-garde. “When I found the chairs, they were upholstered in a dowdy old toile,” says Tommy, who scooped them up for $200 at a vintage store in the city’s West End.

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

Tommy Smythe‘s antique Biedermeier chest from was reimagined as a bar in his former apartment’s living room. In past houses, it has also served as a sideboard, night table and bedroom dresser. “Using pieces differently in each home challenges me to constantly reevaluate their suitability,” Tommy explains.

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

Tommy created a lovely mantel display in his apartment's living room using modern artwork and his favourite vintage boxes and collectibles. Crisp colours and shapes kept the overall look fresh and clean.

Tommy placed his collection of ebony containers under a table lamp to play up their sleek surfaces. “When the lamp’s lit, they have a beautiful sheen,” he says. Colourful flowers nestled among the boxes complete the vignette.

To create a dining area in his compact abode, Tommy set up a cheerful yellow table and low tartan stools in front of a bay window. When not in use, this bright surface displayed pretty curios and fresh-cut foliage.

Tommy Smythe, designer with Sarah Richardson Design, repurposed key pieces that have followed him from house to house for his current apartment. An antique dresser that has served as a sideboard and night table is now a bar in the living room, and this Victorian butternut table — formerly a kitchen island in his first house — finds new life as a desk. “These pieces have sentimental value, so it’s important that I don’t get bored with them,” he notes.

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

The bedroom of Tommy Smythe, associate designer with Sarah Richardson Design, is a marked departure in style from the rest of his one-bedroom apartment. “The living room is fun and energetic, but I wanted this room to be serene,” he says. He painted the walls a soft grey-green to achieve that effect.

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

Atop a chest in his former apartment, Tommy Smythe arranged handsome wood boxes to conceal everyday items like receipts and remotes. He also displayed some one-of-a-kind treasures for a personal touch, like a clock that belonged to Bill Blass. “He was a major style icon of mine,” Tommy says.

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

An English sleigh bed, silver candlesticks and an antique rug evoke old world charm.

Tommy Smythe of Sarah Richardson Design turned this petite, 180-square-foot apartment into a chic gentleman’s retreat using a sophisticated palette and vintage pieces. An antique writing desk does triple-duty, serving as a dining table, nightstand and desk. “It’s the best thing I own,” says Smythe. “It’s not some piece of convertible modern furniture, but it does the trick for everything.”

Tommy Smythe, designer with Sarah Richardson Design and co-star of HGTV’s Sarah’s Cottage and Sarah’s House, often doesn’t get home until the sun goes down, so he decorated his former apartment to suit. “I wanted a nighttime space, so I didn’t do bright and white,” he says. The dusky palette sets off the wood tones of his antiques, such as the Biedermeier chest of drawers and English sleigh bed.

Watch a video tour of this apartment. Plus, see more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

Passionate about historical items and thoughtful vignettes, designer Tommy Smythe designs every room with surfaces for display. “Other than artwork, decorative objects tell the most about a person,” he says. In his former bachelor apartment, a handsome plate corralled his signature specs, while a gold Cartier clock added a touch of luxe style.

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

Like many pieces in Tommy Smythe‘s former bachelor apartment, an antique writing desk does triple-duty, serving as a dining table, nightstand and desk. “It’s the best thing I own,” Tommy says. “It’s not some piece of convertible modern furniture, but it does the trick for everything.”

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

Designer Tommy Smythe‘s former Victorian semi was defined by its striking mix of dark and light, and formal and fun pieces. In the living room, the symmetrical placement of chairs, demilune console tables, lamps and floral arrangements lent a feeling of formality. The antique lantern once hung in the hallway of Tommy’s childhood home.

In the former library of Tommy Smythe, designer with Sarah Richardson Design and co-star of HGTV’s Sarah’s Cottage and Sarah’s House, a menswear-inspired sofa and oversized pillows invite visitors to sink in with a good book. The rich olive green wall colour emphasizes the traditional feel of the library, and makes the white trim pop. Antique furniture and accent pieces further the sense of history, while the black painted mullions provide a graphic focal point.

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

Evoking black tie and tails, the glossy white mouldings and black walls in the former dining room of Tommy Smythe, associate designer with Sarah Richardson Design and co-star of HGTV’s Sarah’s Cottage and Sarah’s House, are a glamorous backdrop to the traditional furnishings. An antique Biedermeier dresser, topped with an ornate Chippendale-style mirror, stands in as a sideboard.

See more of Tommy’s houses, from past to present, in our photo gallery.

“Tommy’s tailored approach includes some smart design ideas like breaking up dark and light cabinets, laying the tile in a zigzag pattern and painting the door and window frames black,” says House & Home editor Suzanne Dimma. “Combined with the oversized lantern pendant, it is wow.”